I have not had an opportunity to update the diary in quite some time. The end of 2003 was extremely busy with holidays and home repairs. We started the New Year off putting a new roof on our home. It was the first roof I ever purchased and I now have a different oppinion of roofs. I never knew a roof could be beautiful until I had to put out 5 grand to get one. Now I drive through neigborhoods checking out roofs instead of yards.

 The holiday season was fantastic and Popeye did great with the Xmas tree and all the festivities. He was a bit nippier than normal due to the continuous excitement and changes that took place throughout the different occasions.He never freaked out over any thing, He was just less willing to come out of his cage. I tried to respect his wishes and left him alone more.  

In the past several months I have started having some success at touching his body. In the previous months he hated it when I tried and would turn his head to bite and growl. Over the past months I have handled his beak with my fingers more and more. I started out just stroking the beak and holding it firmly between my fingers. NowI actually  pull on it like you would a dog with a rag toy. Moving his head gently from side to side and up and down. He seems to respond fondly to the beak games.I can place my fingers inside his mouth and touch his tongue which he seems to really like. Sometimes I actually massage the inside of the upper beak gently.  At first I was afraid I was making my self his equal and worried I would lose dominance by doing this. I have seen wonderful progress in his reaction to me since I started the beak play. He actually seems to seek it out. He is now putting his foot to my hand and holding my fingers and nibbling and preening my hand. He will rub his head along my hand. Occasionally he will bite a bit to firmly and I just say  "easy baby.. love momma".. He calms down immediately and is more gentle. From there I scritch his face and head and get all up in his neck. Each time as I finish the beak game and scritches I have let my hand flow gently along his back or wings. I would get a growl and a head turn. He would grab the hand gently as in I don't like that. As the weeks have gone by I am able to get more and more strokes along his back. I actually got up under his wings with my hands a few days ago. He resisted gently and almost begged for more at the same time. I am taking it very slowly and want more than any thing to be able to rub my hands along his body as another way to show him affection. He has not done any damage to my hands as I have done this and I continue to calmly stroke quickly and that is how I end our play session. I try not to push the issue.

In the mornings when I uncover his cage I have started opening his door and actually petting his head and beak. I always finish by letting my hand slide gently down his back. He is reacting less and less.This morning I got several nice strokes down his back with no reaction. I then shut his door and went to fix his breakfast. I can now reach in to him when ever I want. Sometime I just pet or scritch him. I have learned not to try to take him out every time I open the door.

He is continually trying more and more foods. His diet is less of an issue since I decided we have the rest of his life to introduce new foods. He has his regular seed cup.. his regular pellet cup and his water cup. I added a cup to the cage door which I put his table foods in. He now looks forward to seeing what the goodies are today. I just give him some of what ever is prepared in the house today. Sometimes he eats it and sometimes he doesn't but more often than not he is trying more things. Last nite I spread some peanut butter on his diced apple and he ate it all. This morning he ate his bananna with gusto. He seems to prefer fruits that are a bit sour and tart. He loves his oatmeal and of course any kind of cheese. I believe cheese will be a great training treat.

I have not spent any time with so called training sessions thus far. That will come in the future. I want to gain his complete trust and be able to handle him with great ease before I set him up to train. He is becoming more and more comfortable with me and is wanting to sit on my arm more often. I am still leary as the house is still very busy  at times. I get very uncomfortable if someone comes through the door too quickly and startles him. He is stepping up from his cage more often now and seems to want to come out. If he resists at all I just say okay and calmly shut his door and try again later. My goal is for him to want to be with me. Not to make him do what I want him to do but for him to want to be with me and for him to want to come out of his cage. I have learned that after all those years of sitting in his cage with no human contact. It is where he feels the safest. I try to get him out at least once a day to go play on his boing. I take him to my bedroom and set him on his boing to watch tv with me and I chatter to him constantly. He is definately more calm and seems to know he is safe with me.

He is accepting new toys with less hesitation now. I have learned the kinds of toys he likes. He loves to split the long slats of wood. He prefers other types as foot toys.

I feel he is bonding with me more and more. I have had him almost 9 months and still marvel at the progress we have made. He is very different from when I first brought him home. I can get him to talk if I tap an object of some kind on his perch . The vibrations and the noise seem to excite him to talk. He flares that tail and says Pretty Bird. Then he starts with his chatter. He only says a few things but each time I tap an object it stimulates him to talk. I am very proud of our success and love him more every day.

I still can not decide what the deal is with my son Hjalmar. I can't tell if Popeye loves him or hates him. He flares every time Hjalmar gets near him.. He pins those eyes and climbs that boing like he really wants to get at him.. Popeye does flips and gets real active and acts like he really wants a piece of Hjalmar. I tell my son all the time.. Be very careful if the bird decides to he can leap onto you and I don't know what he will do. We think he would eat him up. But sometimes I watch and wonder if Popeye likes him and enjoys the interaction they have as a a game. So far I tell Hjalmar not to stick his hands too close. I would hate for Popeye to really hurt him. The damage could be severe. I am not willing to risk anything yet.

I hope to keep the entries coming now more often. The progress is slower but we are still moving forward. It is time to have his toenails clipped again and have his wings checked to see if they need clipping. I hope to have that done in the next few weeks.

Valentines Day was extremely nice. My hubby brought me beautiful flowers and a very special Card. He is so good about things like that. We refuse to buy cards if we can't find anything special. So it is a hit or miss for us on most occasions.

I couldn't find him a decent birthday card so I did a cute E-card. I did find a real nice Valentines Day card for him.

All is still going well. Popeye is definatley friendlier to me as the weeks and months go by. I am also learning to read his body language. From what I am learning the Amazons definately communicate with the pinning of the eyes and the flairing of the tail. I have learned if he is real excited not to try to pick him up. He will bite if he is excited. I have also learned if he is talking and chattering it is best to leave him alone. He definately doesn't want to be bothered if you have put his favorite food in his bowl. All other times he will step up on my hand as if he has been doing it all his life. I am walking through the house with him on my arm more often. I have also noticed when I have him perched near me on the computer desk, he is climbing down onto the desk and coming over to my arm more often. He would love to perch on the back of my computer chair while I am surfing or playing games. I am not comfortable with him behind me like that yet. I am watching him become more calm every day. He is nothing like when I first brought him home. Our friendship is growing day by day.

I am still trying to pet him under his wings and down his back. He is still unsure of how he feels about it. Most often he resists with a growl and a head turn. He is still only gently grabbing my hand. He has not bitten me during any of my attempts to handle his body and feathers.

He is reacting less to the grandchildren being around. He still doesn't want them to bother him but he is not as concerned as he used to be. The dog and cats do not phase him in the least. He acts as if he was raised with them.

I do think he is a bit nippy if my husband is near. I notice more resistance to step up commands if Dan is in the room than most other times. Even that is getting better with time.

I still need to call about getting his wings clipped. Need to make a reminder to myself. I am almost certain when  I saw him do a wing stretch the other day that I could only see one clipped wing. I will feel much better when I get that done. Especially with Spring just around the corner. I love taking him outside for some real sunshine in the spring and summer.

We are having somewhat of a Winter Blizzard tonight. Very unusualy for Virginia Beach. I think they are calling for 4 to 6 inches. We have a fire in the fireplace and the ground and roads are already white. It is actually rather nice. I do enjoy all the different seasons and winter just isn't winter without some snow.

I had Popeye's wings clipped the other nite. I amazes me how these powerful birds become so helpless in a towel. The girls came to my home from a local pet shop. Clipped  his wings.. his toenails and just a bit from his beak. He whined like a baby and let out a few growls. He stepped right up onto the groomers arm when she was done. When I offered him my arm.. he scooted over to it as fast as he could. We all talked for a bit and I shared some Popeye videos and pics with them and some wonderful stories about how much we have progressed.

As I settled in front of my computer to chat with friends I started chatting with a friend from the Feathered Family Boards. We were talking about how much I really want to put Popeye on my shoulder and whether or not she thought it was safe to try it. She asked me a few questions like.. when was the last time he bit me and does he bite me if he loses his balance and almost falls. I can't remember the last time he bit me and if he has to grab my arm or hands due to losing his balance he does not bite me. How he gets his body back in position with out biting me I really don't know but somehow he gets that beak on my arm and uses it to pull himself up but he does not bite down. So ... Athena says  I think I would try it then.

Well I sat there trying to get brave enough to let him on my shoulder. Had him step up onto my arm and tried to get my hand over to my shoulder still keeping him away from my face. He would not step up onto my shoulder. He did get close enough to my face to preen me just for a second. He was so gentle. Like little bird kisses. He was saying I love you mom. 

I tried several times to get him to the shoulder and he was not going. He was trying to understand what I was doing. Finally I sat him on the back of my computer chair and he sat there for about an hour. Every now and then I would lean back and let him preen my hair and I would scritch his neck saying He is a gooood boooyyy. Athena suggested I offer him treats while he was there so he would know he was being a good boy. He had not been allowed on the back of my chair either because I had always been afraid he would take a chunk out of my back. I have been a real chicken since those first bad bites during our first week together. He was very content to sit on the back of my chair and was very much a gentleman the entire time.

I got up yesterday morning and decided since the house was empty .. kids were in school .. daughter at work We would try again. I uncovered him... said good morning... went and put on a collard shirt..(Athena's suggestion again.) I opened his cage door ... offered my arm and said step up... and immediately brought my hand to my shoulder. He hesitantly stepped to my shoulder.. as if to ask  are you sure mom... ?  From there he sat on my shoulder and preened and preened and preened. He preened my hair ... my ears... my neck all so very very gently. Occasionally he would look up and say   "Pretty Bird" very sweetly and quietly. Both of us were esctatic.

I had truly wondered if this day would ever come. I am so happy and this will open so many more doors for Popeye to be able to bond with me and do so many more things with me. I am still very cautious and only allow him shoulder if the house is quiet and I don't have to worry about anyone startling him or me. This is the day I had dreamed of since taking him in and I feel so very fortunate and I love him so much and it is very evident that he loves and trusts me too.

We have worked together to earn each others trust over the past months. He did not trust me and I did not trust him. He didn't know and understand humans and I didn't know and understand Amazons. We learned from each other , One day at a time. There are so many things for us still to learn. I need to learn how to teach him to play and he needs to teach me how Zon's play.

I am one very lucky lady to have this little guy and to have gained his trust the way I have. It is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. To have gained his trust and respect. A bird... A bird that had been shoved in his cage and sat in the laundry room for who knows how many years... A bird that was not handled for who knows how many years.... He was afraid of everything... and anything.

 This is truly a very happy day for me and for Popeye. I am getting ready to wake him up and set him on my shoulder while I drink my coffee and browse my morning forums.

Shew .. the weeks just fly by.

It is almost a year since I adopted my little guy.  I would say he is healed now.  He seems to be very calm and very predictable most of the time.  I still always use caution and make sure I am aware of him at all times if he is perched on or near me.  Safety is the best protection from a good bite.  Like any animal, anything can happen.

I have learned that petting a bird under his wings and down his back or near his legs can cause sexual stimulation.  I had me one horny Amazon for a few weeks.  It was rather interesting to say the least.   As the days got longer and he got more sexual, I kept him covered a bit longer in the mornings to control his day light and STOPPED petting him anywhere other than his face and head and neck.  He loves to have his face stroked.  Loves it. I love him with all my heart and he loves me back. What a wonderful gift. 

I took him to the vet back in March for the works.. DNA testing and any other bird illnesses that could be tested.  He came back positively a male and very very healthy.  He is considered a bit on the chunky side but not obese and his liver tested normal.  I was very concerned about fatty liver disease not knowing for sure his diet previously and knowing he ate lots of sunflower seeds. I am very happy with the Avian Veternarian and feel he got an excellent exam under caring hands.

The other day, I had the music up pretty loud working in another room of the house.  Popeye started with his usual  "Pretty Bird"... all of a sudden ... just as plain as you could say it... I heard... "Heyyyy Babbbyyyy.... want some luvinnnn.   He said it a half dozen times along with other chatter I could not make out.. I think he likes oldies... Makes sense being he will be turning 16 pretty soon.  I am still not sure how large his vocabulary is.. but I think he will teach me more of what he knows over the next year. The hello baby  want some lovin  he must have already known.  He is feeling more secure every day and getting comfortable enough to really start talking again.  He definately  says    helloo Anneee  when my daughter comes around. It still amazes me that a bird can say words and sound like a human. I will always be amazed by that.

He loves to just hang out with me.  He is very comfortable on my arm now.  Sits and just coos and coos. He asks for head scritches by turning his head sideways and laying his beak gently on my wrist.. Now I know to say.. hey baby... want some lovin...  We are still learning from each other and I think the next year will be absolutely wonderful with him.

I may be getting ready to add an Umbrella Cockatoo to the family.  I think Popeye is ready and I think I am too. The Parrot is 8 years old and believed to be female.  There are some aggression problems and the bird has been known to bite. She has bitten the face numerous times and done some lunge biting as well. Her name is Peekie.  She has never been caged. At least not in many many years if at all. She can also be very very sweet and very loving. It sounds as though Peekie has overbonded to the husband. She has never bitten a man. Only women..  I was lucky enough to speak to her mom today and she is very very loving and very concerned about her baby. She wants Peekie in the best environment she can be in. From what I understood the U2 is biting more frequently and she would like to relinquish it for the birds sake. They just don't have room for the cage it requires. They seem to be caring loving people and I am sure they are making a great sacrifice by giving Peekie up.My heart goes out to them as they struggle with this decision. I am sure it is a heart wrenching time for her and her husband. If I am lucky enough to adopt Peekie I will start a diary for her.  Wish me luck .. keep your fingers crossed..  I just may have another juvenile delinquent to work with.  I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I will do all I can to bring Peekie around and have her be all that she can be.I am meeting with Peekie and her Parronts this Saturday. I can't wait to meet them and see this beautiful Cockatoo.

This has been a very difficult and busy month.  Looks like the lady that was going to relinquish her cockatoo was just yanking me around all month. It seems to me that she had no regard for my feelings what so ever in all her emotional turmoil. I lost faith in humanity one more time and am more convinced then ever that humans are just mean and selfish.

I spent numerous hours discussing, nurturing and counseling this lady. Lots of my time and energy and heart went into all that was involved in preparing to bring in another bird to my home. I rushed to paint my home and spent money on a nice sized cage. I begged this lady to communicate to me any ideas of not relinquishing her bird. I explained how my heart was invested as the time to take her came closer.

This lady let me rush to paint my home ( due to my concern of shoving a newly homed cockatoo all around the house while painting). She let me order the cage. We chose a date to relinquish. I was talking to Popeye telling him we were adding one of his cousins to the flock. I prepared my family with the hazards of a biting too and just how hard it can be to rehome a cockatoo. I got their support and we were all excited.

The day I was sopose to get her the lady called and said she was not going to relinquish her. My heart had told me this all along. I should have listened to my instincts. It was a very mean thing to do to me and my entire family. 

She did offer to buy the cage that I had ordered and waited for. I didn't want to see her ever again due to the selfish way she handled the situation. It amazes me how two simple words ("I'm Sorry") are sopose to erase such a wrong way of handling something.I believe people use the words too lightly. If we choose our words and actions more carefully, then we do not have to say (I'm sorry) 50 times a week.  I chose to keep the big cockatoo cage for popeye and can move his other cage to the back office for a night time cage.

I have to believe that it just wasn't meant to be for me to help this particular bird. I also know it could have been handled much more maturely and responsibly. I hope I never treat another human with such disregard for their feelings. I prefer Parrots over people. Even a biting bird is more predictable as you at least know to expect the bite.

It has taken me a few days to be able to write about this. It was a very emotional and busy month. Popeye fared well as usual and so did my family. I am fine and continue to move forward with Popeye, my buddy, my friend and my lifetime companion.

My entries are fewer as progress is less noticeable now days. Popeye is very happy and life is good. He continues to become more comfortable with me and I with him. I still always practice caution and always pay close attention to his body language to avoid a good bite. He has been with me just under 18 months. I am so very glad to have the opportunity to work with him. I am becoming more comfortable sitting him on other human arms occasionally. I am careful to be aware of and comfortable with his mood. He still becomes very excited around children. He seems to enjoy their company and will scream if they do not stop and say hello to him. I would not trust him to be handled by a child and possibly never will. Time will tell and lots of it on that one. Just too risky in my oppinion.

He talks the most in an empty room with music playing. The minute I answer him he stops speaking. He insists on being with the crowd. He yells until I go get him and let him socialize by perching in the same room as everyone else. The yell is loud and annoying if you have company and are trying to converse. I just go get him and say you want to get in on the fun too ?   As soon as I perch him nearby he settles in for a nice nap, after a few minutes of observing things. I, so far; am not concerned at the yelling since it sure seems to be his way of asking to join in the flock.

I think he is the greatest Amazon in the world. The progress has been spectacular. He now lowers his head for scritches constantly. He loves for  me to take his face in between both fingers and massage both sides of his face at the same time. He especially loves to be rubbed gently under his chin and gently around his eyes. The edges of the beak are also a favorite spot.

We are playing a little foot game lately. He tries to grab my finger with his foot and I try to grab his foot. We do this 7 or 8 times  before he uses too much pressure and I back off. He is definately playing though because we go from the foot and finger game to a head bow asking for a scritch. He has also starting initiating the game on his own. He will stick his foot wayyyy out as if to say... come on .... lets play.   He actually looks like he is doing a High four. 

We have stayed with the spray bottle for his shower which he accepts more and more willingly. Today when I showered him I set up the regular shower as well and continued to spritz him as usual. He was able to sit while the shower water ran on him some. He growls if he becomes uncomfortable. I just kept the water bottle visible at all times. I am hoping to eventually be able to just set  him in and turn on the shower. The water bottle wears out my hand.

He always comes to check to see what I might be putting in his food bowl. I remember when he would not try the first thing. He doesn't always eat what I put in his bowl but he always at least tries it.

He is still as content to sit on a perch in the same room as he is to sit on my arm. He is really a very easy parrot to care for. He is very patient and not demanding at all. I am head over heels in love with my amazon. He truly is an amazing part of my world. Popeye the Amazing Amazon.